Dom Howson

Stuart Gray has been given the green light to freshen up his Sheffield Wednesday squad by chairman Milan Mandaric.

Head coach Gray is looking to bolster his midfield and striking departments before the emergency loan window shuts on Thursday November 27 to arrest their slump in fortunes.

With Sam Hutchinson unlikely to be available for selection until Christmas due to a knee injury, Gray wants to bolster his options in the middle of the park.

The Wednesday chief is also on the hunt for a proven forward at Championship level as he looks to cure their goal-scoring problems.

They have fired blanks in five out of their last six outings. No team in the division has scored fewer goasl in their own backyard than the Owls

However, striker Caolan Lavery is nearing a first-team comeback following a lengthy lay-off because of a serious knee problem.

The Northern Ireland Under-21 international could feature in Wednesday’s friendly development match with Middlesbrough next Tuesday.

Mandaric told The Star: “We are searching for a midfield player and an additional striker.

“We are looking to bring in a couple of players. We have, so far, not been successful. We have been turned down a couple of times but we are still looking to strengthen the team. I still have hope that we will be able to do something before January.

“We are looking in the Championship and Premier League. There is no point in bringing players in unless they can improve us.

“We have seven games to go before the end of the year so we need to get some points on the board.”

Owls youngster Joe Wildsmith was an unused substitute in the England Under-20s 2-2 draw with Canada on Wednesday night. The squad will now jet out to face Portugal on Monday November 17 at The Estadio Municipal Sergio Conceicao.